There can be turning points and decisive moments in football season that define what is to come. And Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, amid a below-par performance, was the stuff of what champions are known for.
It was the joy of six for Liverpool in Milan when they became the first English team in history to win all of their Champions League group games. The 2-1 victory was made all the sweeter by the fact that Jurgen Klopp had made eight changes to his starting eleven, with his second string doing him proud against a side currently sat top of the Serie A table.
They took their sweet time about it, but Liverpool conjured up a late, late goal to condemn Wolves to defeat and extend their winning run in the Premier League to four games. The Reds have conceded just one goal in more than 360 minutes of league action, which suggests that Jurgen Klopp has worked to rectify his side’s achilles heel to some tune.
As predicted, Liverpool were in no mood to show their Merseyside neighbours Everton any sympathy on Wednesday evening, and their destructive 4-1 victory increases the pressure on former manager Rafa Benitez. This was not the textbook Merseyside derby, with Everton simply unable to get anything together – they were outclassed accordingly.
It would be fair to say that Liverpool surpassed their expectations – and Arsenal grossly underperformed their own – in the 4-0 victory at Anfield on Saturday. The Reds looked back to their best following the humbling at West Ham prior to the break, and they were good value in a win that was every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests.
The latest in what feels like a procession of international breaks is finally at an end. The period away from club football has enabled Liverpool to put some distance between their current mood and the 2-3 defeat last time out at West Ham, although with several key players picking up knocks on international duty it would be foolish to suggest the fortnight off has been wholly positive.
Liverpool powered their way into the Champions League knockout phase with games to spare on Wednesday evening with a superb 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid. The Reds got off to what has become their trademark fast start, and they once again found themselves 2-0 up inside 25 minutes thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota.
A wretched 30-minute period either side of half time cost Liverpool all three points against Brighton on Saturday. Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane had fired the Reds into a 2-0 lead after just 24 minutes, and such a margin should really have laid the foundation for a resounding home victory at Anfield.
How about that then? Privately, perhaps, most Liverpool fans were confident of victory at Old Trafford on Sunday. But a 5-0 romp that could have been an even wider margin? This was wildest dreams stuff.
Have Liverpool ever been in better shape heading into the ‘local’ derby with Manchester United? It’s a fair question given that the Reds remain unbeaten in the Premier League and racked up their third straight victory in the Champions League in Madrid on Tuesday.